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Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 2:33 pm
by Treadstone0014
Hey guys,

Got a permit for Rafferty on August 7th and am planning to exit at Sunrise TH on August 12th. Just spitballin', but this is the plan I had come up with so far and was wondering if you guys had any advice on distances, better routes, etc.

Day 1: Leave out from Rafferty and sleep at Emeric, Babcock or Bernice Lake (advice appreciated on which is best option)

Day 2: Leave from Emeric/Babcock/Bernice and sleep at Washburn Lake

Day 3: Leave from Washburn and sleep at either Red Devil Lake or Lower Ottowa Lake

Day 4: Leave Red Devil/Lower Ottowa and sleep at Clark Fork (open to suggestions)

Day 5: Leave Clark Fork and sleep at Clouds Rest (is this doable in one day?)

Day 6: Leave Clouds Rest and end at Sunrise TH and take the bus back to the car.

I will be arriving on August 5th and had considering staying a night at White Wolf and maybe the night of the 6th at a backpacker's camp. Does anyone have any alternative suggestions? Also, I will have a car, so what sights should I try to hit before I start my hike?

Appreciate all the help!

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2016 7:50 pm
by Phil
I'll start at the end of your post.

White Wolf has a backpacker's camp. If you can find a site in the regular campground it does make it easier to setup gear from the car. August is busy though. The camp at Tuolumne is ~800 ft higher, but WW is much nicer.

With a car, play tourist and do the circuit. If you want to get out of the car and walk...all over the Tuolumne Meadows area, Elizabeth Lake, Pothole Dome, Lembert, maybe even up to Cathedral Lakes...almost endless possibilities...

Okay.

Day 1: Good plan. I prefer Babcock. It's more of what I would call intimate and Sierra-like. They're all nice, but it's the nicest, IMO. If you go over Tuolumne Pass and come up short, there are also a series of tarns along the trail that aren't too far past Boothe Lake (no camping allowed).

Day 2: Good, solid plan, and you should have a relatively short day to rest up for day 3.

Day 3: Red Devil is nice, but if you're tired and come up short, there's also a nice trailside tarn above it with some good sheltered sites. If possible, try to push up and over to Lower Ottoway and spend an extra day hiking the area or fishing.

Day 3/4: If you didn't make it to Lower Ottoway on day 3, take the time to. It's arguably one of the nicest and most picturesque lakes on your route, if not in the whole park.

Day 4/5: Clark Fork is perfect. Lot's of great sites.

Day 5/6: CR from Clark Fork might be a little overly ambitious in a day. It can be done, but better to camp along Sunrise Creek and climb up from there the next morning after you're rested and fresh. It's a long and arduous ascent. There might be an active spring on the way up, but consider it a dry route for practical purposes, so you'll need to haul all the water you'll need for the trail that day, camping that night, and through the next day until you hit the next water source at the creek a couple miles over the summit and towards the top of the Sunrise trail.

For planning purposes; your entry date is written in stone, but your exit date isn't, so you have plenty of flexibility in how you handle your itinerary once you're out there.

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:07 am
by balzaccom
Agree with Phil---except that I prefer the western ridge above Bernice Lake. Lovely spot.

Lower Ottaway is heaven. If you fish, it is better than heaven during the evening hatch.

There are also some campsites down at Illilouette Creek that would cut a couple of miles of the hike to Sunrise...but still not enough to make that an easy day.

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 7:16 am
by Treadstone0014
What is the earliest I can pickup my permit once I arrive in the park? I want to get a good early start on my first day.

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 7:34 am
by Phil
The permitting stations at Tuolumne, the Valley, and Big Oak Flat open at 8 am. You also have the option of picking it up the day before, and will need to if you're planning to spend the night before in one of the backpacker's camps. Reserved permits are only held until 10 am the day of your trip.

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 11:06 am
by Treadstone0014
Awesome. Will definitely plan on getting it the day before. What kind of night time temperatures should I prepare for in these areas?

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 11:13 am
by Phil
Mid 40s-low 50s most likely. You ought to be pretty well covered with a couple light-medium layers and at least a 30 degree bag. Don't forget your rain gear.

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 10:15 pm
by CarolE
please post how you route goes? Timing, tougher/easier sections and highlights?
Thanks!
Carol

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 7:43 am
by Treadstone0014
Best place to purchase stove fuel and last minute items in between San Fran airport and the park entrance, or inside the park?

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 7:54 am
by AlmostThere
There's a store in Yosemite Village with gear and fuel and plenty of anything you need. You can also, if you are driving, go to any Big Five, Bass Pro, REI, Sports Chalet or other sporting goods store, or Walmart, and get the right fuel canister type.

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 8:02 am
by Phil
If you're going into the Valley, the gear shop at Curry Village will have MSR fuel canisters and a few of the basics. The gear shops at Yosemite Village and Tuolumne are closed down.

Better is the REI in Dublin/Pleasanton @ 7099 Amador Plaza Rd, near the freeway 580/680 split. Just a few minutes off your route.

Here's their website. They have a map with driving directions.

https://www.rei.com/stores/dublin.html

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 8:07 am
by AlmostThere
I forgot about the store closures -- shows you I spend as little time as possible in that part of the park! Come to think of it they shut down the mountaineering shop in Tuolumne Meadows as well.

Hot tip -- if you know at the end of your trip that you have to travel anywhere in your car on the one way loop in the valley floor between noon and five pm, leave the car at the overnight parking near Camp Four, instead of the trailhead parking near Happy Isles, and then shuttle over to your trailhead, then shuttle back to the car after you're done hiking. It varies a lot -- but this year has been horrible with crowds, more than previous years, and I have several times found myself sitting for HOURS on that short bit of road between Curry and Yosemite Village. Like, literally hours. Not even kidding. The rangers will put someone at the intersection and direct traffic, favoring pedestrians crossing the road from day use parking at the village, and the end result is a long parking lot that resembles a road.

The shuttles have a lane reserved all for them, that public traffic can't use. SO if there is a jam, you get to sit there in your car, watching shuttle after shuttle go by...

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 8:08 am
by Phil
Oh yeah, forgot about Bass Pro in Manteca right off Hwy 120. That one's even easier to get off and on the highway for. And you get to see dead versions of all the wildlife you'll find in the park too.

Here's their website with directions:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/store ... b4e47a8877

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 8:13 am
by MadDiver
I guess everyone is here this morning! Deleted my post, why is the TM Sportshop closed?

Re: Rafferty to Sunrise August 7th - 12th

PostPosted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 8:16 am
by Phil
AlmostThere wrote:Hot tip -- if you know at the end of your trip that you have to travel anywhere in your car on the one way loop in the valley floor between noon and five pm, leave the car at the overnight parking near Camp Four, instead of the trailhead parking near Happy Isles, and then shuttle over to your trailhead, then shuttle back to the car after you're done hiking.


Let's expand on that sage advice....if you can see daylight in the Valley, abandon your car ASAP and ride the shuttle.


The shop in Tuolumne was inside the gas station. As part of environmental considerations and requirements they couldn't meet under the new regulations, they boarded up the building.